Ukrainian community joins opening of Holodomor exhibition in Johannesburg

South Africa’s small, yet active and well-organized Ukrainian community on April 23 took part in unveiling a Holodomor exhibition in Johannesburg, with Dzvinka Kachur, UWC Regional Vice President for Africa and co-founder of the Ukrainian Association of South Africa (UAZA), in attendance.

Organized by the Embassy of Ukraine in South Africa and UAZA, the exhibition’s opening coincided with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first official visit to the country, leading a Ukrainian delegation.

The exhibition, created by Ukrainian artist Yuliya Fedorovych, included the presence of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, and Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitaliy Koval.

Svyrydenko emphasized the historical significance of the Holodomor: “The Soviet regime committed genocide and attempted to erase the evidence. Yet, we remember every life lost, every story. Today, this truth resonates even here, on the other side of the world – a voice speaking out about the genocide of the Ukrainian people.”

She urged that this voice on the African continent “speak with equal force about the crimes Russia is perpetrating today,” drawing a parallel to Russia’s current weaponization of grain through the bombing of Ukrainian ports, the mining of fields, and the burning of harvests.

“For Russia, our grain is a weapon of war. For us, it is a path to peace. This is why food security is a crucial element of President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula. Ukrainian grain is a guarantor of global food security, and I am deeply grateful for this exhibition in South Africa,” Svyrydenko said.

Kachur highlighted the ongoing efforts in South Africa to commemorate the Holodomor, noting that the memory of the victims has been honored annually since 2017. She also mentioned UAZA’s appeal to the South African Parliament for the recognition of the Holodomor as genocide and the installation of a memorial bench in Cape Town dedicated to the victims of the Holodomor and other genocides on the continent.

The Johannesburg exhibition offers a poignant look at the Holodomor of the 1930s through a series of posters. These visually striking pieces blend traditional Ukrainian embroidery motifs with the constructivist art style prevalent in the 1920s and 1930s. Furthermore, the exhibition powerfully connects the historical tragedy of the Holodomor to the ongoing Russian aggression, illustrating the occupation and the shattered lives of contemporary Ukrainians. 

Specially designed by Yuliya Fedorovych for President Zelenskyy’s landmark visit to Africa, these posters also incorporate an augmented reality feature, enabling visitors to engage with historical information directly through their smartphones.